Unplanned emergency department or urgent care visits after outpatient rotator cuff repair: potential for avoidance

With the cost of health care rising, the potential to avoid costs from an unplanned return to the emergency department (ED) or urgent care center (UC) after elective outpatient rotator cuff repair (RCR) has been discussed but not extensively assessed.

Outpatient RCR procedures were queried in a closed health care system, and all unplanned ED and UC visits within 7 days of procedures were collected and compared with other typical outpatient orthopedic procedures (knee arthroscopy, carpal tunnel release, and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction). Avoidable diagnoses (ADs) for the unplanned visits were defined in advance as visits for (1) constipation, (2) nausea or vomiting, (3) pain, and (4) urinary retention. Final tallies of all visits versus visits with ADs were compared.

From June 2015 to May 2016, 1306 outpatient RCRs were performed (729 male and 577 female patients; average age, 60 years). Of the patients, 90 returned for ED or UC visits (6.9%), with 34 for ADs (2.6%). Pain was the most common AD. However, when RCR was compared with other case types, ED or UC visits for urinary retention were significantly more common (P = .007), whereas there was no significant difference with the other ADs. The 1306 RCRs led to a greater proportion of ED or UC visits than the combined 5825 other cases studied (P < .001).

Unplanned ED visits within 7 days of outpatient RCR are measurable and in many cases, such as ED or UC visits for pain, are avoidable. Visits for urinary retention are seen more commonly after RCR. Outpatient RCR led to more unplanned ED and UC visits than other common outpatient orthopedic surgical procedures.